El Pato
by Pyro44
Summary: Luis's sophomore year is not going well. He gets injured on the first day of practice. Some of his family come for a visit. He has a new roommate who is joining the team. No one will let him forget the whole Mindy thing. (Title is Spanish for 'the duck.')
1. Shortest and Worse Hockey Practice Ever

Hey everyone! I'm posting another story! And for some bizarre reason (well not really bizarre) I do not own the Ducks. I'm just a poor teenager who will have to work all summer. This story takes place during the Duck's sophomore year in Luis's point of view. The story title is Spanish for 'the duck.'

Chapter 1: The Shortest and Worst Hockey Practice Ever

I happily unpacked my stuff in my dorm room, alone. I'm in a weird mood because I am actually excited to be back at Eden Hall. The three months of summer at home were too much for me. It seems going away to school has made me feel like I can't fit in with my large, eccentric family. That's why I'm glad to be alone finally.

I'm alone because I have no room mate. See, last year there were a lot of mix-ups with room assignments. They put all of us Ducks in rooms alphabetically, but instead of being with Goldberg, he was matched with Robertson, and I was with Reed. When Portman showed up, they tossed him in our room. Now, I love all my teammates, but sharing a two person room with both Bash Brothers is indescribable mental torture. When a room finally opened up, they were going to put Portman in it. However, Fulton and I threw the biggest fits, so I got my own room last February. And since the school tries to isolate us from the preppies as much as possible, they kept the room assignments the same, without giving me a roommate. I'm thrilled because at home I share a room with three of my brothers. Boy, do they get on my nerves.

"So this is what a single room feels like," said Guy as he entered my room. "Ready for practice?"

"I guess. Don't have much of a choice do I?" I answered.

"I still don't understand why we have to practice as soon as we move in," grumbled Charlie. "School hasn't even started yet."

"And if you all could have arrived on time last year, instead of wrecking the orientation assembly, we wouldn't have practice now," Ken called bitterly from his doorway across the hall. Coach Orion scheduled practice right before the assembly to avoid a scene like last year. Can't say I have a problem with that. I'll be here no matter what, and I don't need another bad start for this school year. That was embarrassing.

I am a little upset with what Coach Orion told us on the trip from the airport. Some guys in the grade ahead of us made varsity this year after not playing last year. Orion told us we would all be JV again because Coach Wilson doesn't like us. At least he was honest. Looks like we have to wait until we're juniors to move up. Not that I could have move up with my fantastic braking skills. Then again, after last year, I'm not sure I would want us to be split up. It's just too bad Adam will be on his own again to face varsity. At least we've settled our differences with him.

I grabbed my hockey bag and followed the guys out of my room. They made their way down the hall, reminding everyone it was time to head to practice. Adam came with us, saying he wouldn't mind skating around a bit.

To no one's surprise, Coach Orion was late. We, or well Charlie, decided that we should warm-up with a little cowboy roundup. He claimed this would not result in anything embarrassing. Well, what happened wasn't embarrassing, it was just painful, horrible, exactly what I was trying to avoid this year.

I'm not sure what went so wrong. I skated towards the end of the rink, toward the empty goal, fast like always. I tried to stop to stop, but guess what, I couldn't. I tried to jump over the goal, like I've done before. The glass hurts less than the goalposts when slamming into them, but somehow I didn't clear it. Next thing I knew, I was lying on my left side on the ice with pain shooting through my arm. I rolled onto my back to get my weight off my arm. I heard my teammates gather around.

"Oh man! Is he conscious?" Goldberg asked. I didn't answer.

"Give him room. We shouldn't move him if he hit his head. He could have a neck injury." Strange, Adam giving orders?

"You're the expert," Charlie conceded. "Everybody scoot back." I heard shuffling.

Averman began to babble. "But what do we do? Orion's not here yet. What do we do? We have to do something for him. He could die being unconscious with a head injury. What do we do?"

"Actually knock me out so I don't have to listen to you," I managed through clenched teeth, followed by a few incoherent Spanish swear words.

A collective gasp filled the air. "You're conscious. How do you feel, Luis?"

"I was never unconscious, Charlie. The pain in my arm is going to kill me though." I inhaled a quick breath of the cold air as I pushed myself into a sitting position with my right arm.

"Coach is going to kill us all if you're seriously hurt," stated Averman.

"Thanks for the concern," I replied while Guy elbowed him.

"What are you all doing over there?" I heard Coach Orion yell across the ice.

"Luis is hurt," explained Charlie as everyone scooted back to make a path for Coach.

"What happened?"

"We were warming up, and he couldn't stop, so he ran into the goal," Charlie explained.

"Should've guessed," Coach grumbled. I still wonder how I managed to get on this team without being able to stop consistently. "What hurts, Mendoza?"

"My left arm."

"Can you move it?" I started to bend my elbow, only to have the pain increase by a million. I cringed. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes. A couple actually got through.

"It might be broken. You all need to stop starting practice early. Moreau, Mr. Hollis is in his office. Go and get him," Coach ordered. Now why didn't we think to go get the school's trainer? "Portman, Reed, help him to the bench."

Without a word, the two picked me up in a fireman's carry, carefully leaning me towards Portman on my right and skated towards the bench.

"You two realize that it's only my arm that's hurt. I could have skated over here."

They didn't answer until they had set me down. "You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Portman, you sound like you've been hanging around Dwayne to much."

"All we're saying is that you're hurt and should let us help you," replied Fulton. Aw, isn't that sweet? The big, bad Bash Brothers are just two softies on the inside. I should know after rooming with them.

"So how bad does it hurt now?" asked a very concerned Dwayne.

"On a scale of one to ten, a fifteen." My teammates looked shocked. Geez, the truth and my arm hurt.

"Is it really that bad?" asked Coach.

"Yeah." I can see me being out of quite a few games. Might as well lighten the mood a bit. "Unfortunately, I can't lie as well as Adam." That made everyone giggle.

"Well, I'm so glad you learned from my mistakes, Luis." Then, Mr. Hollis came in and sat down next to me with a first aid kit.

"Okay, everyone. Let's practice," ordered Coach. Everyone grumbled. The Bash Brothers made their way back onto the ice. "Five laps. We need to let Mr. Hollis take care of Mendoza." They grumbled more but obeyed. Adam sat down next to me on the right.

"Can you move your arm?" Mr. Hollis asked.

"I prefer not to." I gasped as he held my arm and bent it a little. I felt a couple more tears roll down my cheeks. He opened up the medical bag.

"Here, take a couple aspirin." I didn't even mind that I had no water. I was in pain. "Well, I'm going to wrap your arm with an ace bandage. You need to have this x-rayed. I'm pretty sure it's broken." Wonderful. Simply wonderful.

"How long will he be out?" Coach asked.

"It looks like a clean break. Should take six to eight weeks to heal." Well, my season's over before it started. We were quiet while Mr. Hollis loosely wrapped up my arm.

"Guess you'll be short a right wing, Coach," I announced.

"Oh, don't worry about that. You getting hurt made me forget my announcement," he replied.

"What announcement?" asked Goldberg. Everyone had finished their laps.

"I'm late because I was helping a new player register."

"Already found a replacement, Coach?" Russ asked.

"Not a replacement, Tyler. A new recruit. You all will meet him tonight, I'm sure, because he's going to be Mendoza's roommate."

I forgot about the pain I was in momentarily. "What do you mean? I don't want a roommate, especially some preppy snob that thinks he's all that with a bag of chips!"

"Coach, you know we don't take to new people easily," Charlie warned. "We don't have to replace Luis. He'll be better before we know it."

"This is a total diss to Luis. You can't just bring in somebody else and expect us to welcome them," Russ said.

"You all are absolutely right. Nothing good can come from new people. I realize that listening to Russ's hypocritical mouth." We were so shocked to hear Adam talk like that that we all shut up. Coach took the quiet as an opportunity to set us straight.

"He is not a replacement. If you see it like that, he'd be replacing Banks, not Mendoza. I've been trying to get him to accept this scholarship all summer, long before I knew Mendoza would get hurt. I am quite sure that he will not have any problems from any of you."

Fat chance. Then a thought dawned on me. "Well, what about my scholarship? Will I get sent home if I can't play?" My teammates looked as horrified by that idea as I felt.

"Goodness, no. I expect you to be back out here as soon as the doctor clears you." Yew. That was close. "I want you to check in with me when you return from the doctor." He turned towards my teammates. "Now, let's get to work." He started them on a shooting drill.

"It's time to take you to get that x-rayed," Mr. Hollis announced.

"Can I come?" Adam asked. "I don't have anything else to do."

"Sure, why not. You two go change and meet me outside my office." He left carrying the first aid kit.

"Can you make it to the locker room?" Adam said.

"Like I said before, my arm's hurt, not my legs."

"I know. I just don't want you to skate over there, not be able to stop, and slam your broken arm into the glass."

"Good point. We'll go very slowly." It took us like five minutes to edge around the rink to the locker room. Then it took another twenty to take my pads and skates off and to change into street clothes, even with Adam's help. I was glad that aspirin was beginning to set in.

As we made our way to Mr. Hollis's office, I asked Adam why he was so eager to come with me.

"Because one, it's no fun getting hurt and having to wait in all day alone in the doctor's office, and two, this will take long enough that we will miss the assembly."

"Good point. The less we have to listen to Dean Buckley's speeches on how we are the future, the better off we'll be."


	2. Adam, Xrays, and a Phone Call

To all Spanish speakers out there, it's been two years since I studied the language, so I'm sorry if things aren't exactly right. To non-speakers, I hope I added in enough of Luis's thoughts in English that you get the gist of the conversation.

AllForTheDucks99-I applaud your persistence with your review. I'm very happy that you like my story and you are absolutely correct, poor Luis.

nottshockeygirl99-I'm glad you like how I'm writing Luis. I hope I can make you like him more with this story.

Chapter 2: Adam, X-rays, and a Phone Call

Adam and I stopped in front of Mr. Hollis's office. He was locking the door. He carried a file in is hand. Guess that's all my paperwork.

"Let's go boys." We followed him out to the parking lot and over to the row of school vans. He unlocked the door and Adam and I climbed into the backseat. Then things got too quiet for me.

"Adam, hope you don't mind me asking, but why did you go off on Russ like that?"

He smiled. "Would you be hurt if you were replaced on the roster?"

I nodded my head. "That's what seems to be what's happening," I replied sadly.

"No it isn't, because when you get better, you can have your spot back. I've tried to come back after an injury, and Charlie had to give up his spot to let me play. Remember?"

"Okay, that was a dumb question. This next one is going to be better." He raised his eyebrows skeptically. "What was Charlie talking about when you started ordering everybody around? You seemed really out of character."

"Why thank you, I think. It was just that I'm usually the one that ends up hurt on the ice."

"I feel like I don't know the full story. I know about your wrist, but what else has happened?" He looked at me questioningly.

"You sure are filled with questions."

I shrugged. "I don't like silence and what else is there to do, except think about how much pain I'm in?"

"Good point. Since you asked, I am the team klutz, team cake-eater, and team Benedict Arnold rolled into one. My experiences with the Ducks could take this whole car ride plus waiting in the hospital waiting room to explain." Wow, I always pictured a quiet, go-with-the-flow preppy. He just gave himself too many titles.

"Fine. Please tell. We have exactly that much time."

Before we reached the clinic, I had been told all about Adam's pre-duck days when he was a Hawk and a bully towards the District Five team. Here I was thinking he had always been a Duck.

"Alright, we're here," announced Mr. Hollis. He hadn't said a word during the car ride.

We made our way inside. Adam and I took a seat while Mr. Hollis went up to the desk. He started filling out some forms. I turned to Adam.

"Alright, you've told me this shocking story of your past life. But now I need to know how you ended up with the Ducks. It just doesn't seem to fit."

He then explained about the district mix-up, his ex-best friends, the Ducks hating him, the championship, and his concussion. I have to admit, I don't know what I would do if I had to face my old team, and I left on good terms with those guys.

Dang, I need to give Adam some more credit. Actually, I'm shocked to hear him so talkative. Some of us have debated who's the quietest Duck, Ken or Adam. Then Ken will overhear us, says we're all idiots that just don't listen, while Adam just grins and shrugs us off. So Adam wins every time. I guess with all the loud mouths on the team, Adam does slink into the background a lot.

"Luis Mendoza? Come with me please," a cheery nurse in colorful scrubs told me. Mr. Hollis, Adam, and me followed her past the desk and into an examination room. I glanced around. The walls were covered with diagrams of muscles of the body and tables describing soft tissue injuries.

The nurse wrote something on her clipboard then set it in the holder on the door. "The doctor will be in shortly." Then she left. The room became too quiet for my liking. Adam picked up on this too. He began to tell me about how the ligaments in his wrist had shifted around when he was hit with that hockey stick.

The doctor finally came in twenty minutes later. "So what's wrong?" she said as she grabbed the clipboard left in the door. She looked at Adam. "Don't tell me you're already hurt, Adam?"

"No, ma'am. I'm here with Luis. He's the hurt one today. Luis, this is Dr. Lawrence, she's been my doctor through everything."

"That's right. Right from the time Adam was four and sprained his ankle trying to ice skate on carpet."

I laughed. "You really are injury prone."

"Yeah well, there's nothing I can do to change it."

"So what's wrong with you, Luis?"

"Well, I was at hockey practice and fell on my arm. It hurts, badly," I explained.

"Well let me take a look." She took hold of my arm and began to unwrap the ace bandage. "You play on the JV hockey team, right?" I nodded. "Well, I need to x-ray this. We'll be right back," she told Mr. Hollis.

It didn't take long to x-ray it. Not long after she sent me back to the exam room, Dr. Lawrence returned with the x-rays. I don't know much about this stuff, but I knew I shouldn't see a line across my bone. She took me into another room to get a cast and sling. Then she handed me a whole packet of info on taking care of my cast. She handed Mr. Hollis a prescription for a painkiller. I hope it works better than the cheap aspirin he gave me.

On the way out, Mr. Hollis told the desk to put it on the school's tab. He sounded like he was exiting a restaurant. We ran by the pharmacy to fill the prescription. Then, we were finally headed back to the school.

"You sure have a lot of school pride," Adam said, pointing to my cast.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"A red cast? School colors."

"Oh, red has always been my favorite color. This has nothing to do with school colors." I seriously had not considered that when I picked red. It really is my favorite color. I think it comes from the fact that one of the first English sayings I learned was "let's paint the town red."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Alright, Banks, you need to get to your dorm. I'm sure you have some settling in to do still," Mr. Hollis interrupted as he stopped in front of our dorm building.

"Yes sir," Adam said.

"Mendoza, we need to check in with the dean."

Adam got out of the van. "Can you tell everybody what happened?" I asked.

"Sure. Be sure to let the Dean think you have school spirit."

We went to the dean's office. How come I always manage to wind up here not long after I get on campus?

"Hello Luis. How are you?" greeted Dean Buckley. My arm's in a sling. What kind of question is that?

"I'm fine except for the pain in my arm," I answered.

He looked at Mr. Hollis behind me. "What did the doctor say?"

"His arm is broken. Should be better in six to eight weeks." That's the most he's said all day.

"My goodness! That's over half the hockey season." Have I mentioned that Buckley likes to state the obvious?

"The boy understands that, Dean. Everything has been taken care of. I need to be going."

"Yes, of course." Mr. Hollis left. Dean Buckley motioned for me to sit down. "I must admit this is a new situation for me. I've never had an, um, out-of-state student injured like this before." Maybe that's because most students are from Edina and the other rich places in Minnesota. The six of us are just about the only out-of-state people I know.

"Have you called your parents?"

"No sir."

"I tried to get a hold of them earlier and had some trouble. I was wondering if we had the right number." He fidgeted.

He probably didn't get anyone who could speak English if my sister Maria wasn't home. My dad and siblings would have been at either work or school, and my mother runs a small daycare out of the house with Maria's help. However, my mother, despite living in America for nearly sixteen years, does not speak English well. Since we live in the Hispanic part of town, she never found the need to learn English. I didn't learn it until I was five, when I started kindergarten.

Dean Buckley handed me my file and pointed to my phone number.

"That's correct sir. My mother probably answered, and she can't speak too much English." I could tell that idea made him uncomfortable.

"Well, why don't you call them now. You can use my phone." He placed his desk phone in front of me. I dialed my parents. This should be interesting.

Surprisingly, a small, squeaky voice answered. Must be my youngest sister, Ana.

"Hola. ¿Dónde está Papá ?" I asked.

"¿Quién estás?" She is only four, she can't recognize my voice, I reminded myself.

"Luis," I answered slowly.

"¿Quién?" I know she's only four, but who else named Luis would call at 10:00 Miami time and ask for Papá?

"Tu hermano." Too bad she can't catch the sarcasm in there.

Then I heard muffled voices and a whiny "no" on the phone. I guess someone finally realized Ana had the phone. I hope they don't hang it up. I was grateful when Maria's voice filled my ear.

"¿Hola? ¿Cualquiera allí?"

"Sí, sí, Maria. I need to speak to Papá ."

"Luis? You're already homesick? I'm not sure if we miss you yet," she joked.

"Don't worry, I don't miss you yet either. I just got hurt in practice today, and I'm suppose to tell my parents about what happened. Can I talk to Papá now?" Buckley looked shocked at my use of English.

"Are you alright, Pato?" Ever since I got home from the Goodwill Games, my family has been calling me Pato, which means Duck. Sometimes I find it cute. Right now, the pain medications beginning to wear off. At least she didn't call me Patito (Duckling). My brothers do and they don't mean it as a term of endearment.

I took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Maria."

"You don't need an operation or money or anything do you?"

"No, no, no. I just broke my arm. I'll be fine in a few weeks."

"Are you sure? We didn't send you to Minnesota to die on us. We want our Pato back in one piece." I really didn't think anyone would care this much. Then again, Maria has really been like a second mother to me.

"I'm positive. I'll be back on the ice before you know it."

"Alright, here's Papá ."

"¿Hola?" I heard my father say. She hadn't told him it was me. Since I go to school so far away, my family has been speaking to me in English has much as possible. I don't know why. I haven't forgotten my native tongue.

"Hola Papá . It's me Luis."

"Luis! How are you?" he asked slowly. I really feel isolated from my family when he does this. His English isn't that much better than my mother's. Might as well play this game.

"I'm good, except I got hurt at practice today. I broke my left arm. It'll take six to eight weeks to heal."

"Do you need money for the doctor? I don't…" Trust him to bring up money. That made me shift uncomfortably under Buckley's gaze.

I know all Eden Hall students have insurance for while their on campus, but that seems like a bit much with the scholarship and all. Though, the school probably gets a discount because the head insurance guy most likely went here and has kids that did, are or will attend here. And my family definitely doesn't have money for doctor's bill, but that still doesn't mean I like the policy. Especially since the Dean's been listening intently trying to piece together the English parts of my conversation. I don't want to reveal my poorness to him.

"La compañía de seguros pagó la cuenta, Papá ."

"You sure? I don't want them pay for things I can pay…" See where I get my pride from. I'm not afraid to admit it.

"Sé, Papá. I just wanted to let you know what happened. Can you tell Mamá for me, por favor?"

"Sí, Luis. We miss you and love you."

"Love you too, Papá . Hasta luego."

"Adiós, Pato."

"Adiós." I hung up the phone. Nothing like a call home with Dean Buckley listening to brighten my mood. The dean seemed to be waiting for me to tell him what I had talked about.

"My parents know I broke my arm." What more did he want?

"They don't want you coming home then?"

"No, why?"

"Just making sure. I want the best for you." What is he hinting at? Might as well get right to the point.

"Sir, is my scholarship alright, even if I'm out for most of the season?"

"Of course it's alright. Why would you think that?"

On the streets, I learned that the easiest way to get rid of something was piece by piece. Revoking all our scholarships all at once didn't work, why not revoke one by one? This injury is the perfect place to start. Not to mention, I can tell he hated the fact that he couldn't talk to my parents in English.

"I don't know." I'm lying through my teeth. Oh well, let's move on. "My parents don't want me missing class, so can I get going? Coach Orion also wanted to see me when I got back, and I need to get to bed."

"Alright then. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

Yeah right. "Yes sir." I made my way over to the ice rink and knocked on Orion's office door.

"Come in." I went in. Orion stared at my cast.

"So it is broken?"

I nodded. "I'll be out for six to eight weeks."

"Alright," he sighed. "I still expect you to show up for practice to support your teammates. You need to stay up-to-date on what's going on with plays and such."

"Yes sir." Fun, fun.

"I want you to be ready to get back out on the ice as soon as the doctor clears you."

"Yes sir." Of course.

Somebody knocked. "That will be your roommate. He decided to workout for a little while since he missed practice. I had to let him in."

He looked at me as if hinting something. I gave him a confused look.

I had forgotten about my new roommate. This is fantastic. He's a suck-up.

"Coach Orion, you in there," he called. Wait, I know that voice!

"It's open," Coach Orion said. It's been a long day. I must be hearing things. I turned to look at my new roommate. My eyes bulged as I realized it was who I had heard.


	3. My New Roommate

Sorry this has taken so long. I've been working as camp counselor this summer. I'm in between camps, so I decided to update. The next chapter should be up in the next day or so. Then you may have to wait about a month month, probably. Please savor and review while I'm gone. I'll write while I'm away and update as soon as possible. Thank you xXxSarahxXx and GageLuisandSodabemine for your reviews.

Chapter 3: My New Roommate

"I thing you two already know each other. Why don't you reunite on your way to your dorm? You have classes tomorrow. Luis, you can explain the team rules on academics," said Coach Orion.

I was still in shock about the person standing in front of me. I nodded. "Yeah Coach. We'll see you tomorrow." I headed out the door with my roommate behind me.

"Hey, where's my hello? You can't get away with the cold shoulder I gave you when you joined the team," he told me.

I smiled. "You are absolutely right. No one can pull off a cold shoulder like you. But gee wiz, after all your warnings on the evils of cake-eaters, you sure went to great lengths to make me think I had a preppy for a roommate."

"But the look on your face was priceless just like our teammates faces will be when we get back to the dorm. Don't look at me that way, you know you love me."

I laughed. "Now what makes you so sure of that?"

"Because I love you, oh unstoppable one."

"See what my unstoppable-ness got me? A cast and a sling," I replied bitterly.

"Yeah, Orion mentioned that when he let me in the rink. What happened?"

"I was trying to avoid Dwayne's rope and ran into the goal. By the way, who have you switched bodies with?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Going to the rink to make up practice on your own? That is not the Jesse Hall I remember. Goldberg said it best with 'we play or play around,' so what were you doing?"

"I was making a good impression and trying out the ice. I needed to make sure I liked the rink I'm going to be playing in."

"Well I know you've seen the rink. Have you seen the rest of campus?"

"Oh yes," he answered sarcastically. "Right before dinner, the dean hooked me up with this girl to take me on a tour. She had an opinion for everything, most annoying being how Eden Hall needs to stop focusing so much on hockey. She even had some petition she wanted me to sign. Needless to say, I ate dinner fast and made a quick exit. I hope I don't have any classes with her."

I chuckled, that could only be one person. "Was her name Linda?"

"Yes! That's her. If I never see her again it will be too soon."

"You say that now. Did she know you're a Duck?"

Jesse shook his head. "I wasn't going to tell her that so she could tar and feather me for being a hockey player."

"Okay, that was probably smart, since I haven't found out where her and Charlie are today."

"What do you mean, her and Charlie?"

"Linda and Charlie are a couple, sometimes. They have more arguments and longer breakups than Connie and Guy."

"She seems like the type that would avoid jocks like the plague."

"She is, but somehow Charlie managed to get her to go out with him. So, you will probably see a lot more of Linda."

"Wonderful. That is not making me feel welcomed."

I shrugged. "The truth hurts. Here's our dorm." I reached out and opened the door to our dormitory. "Welcome to Kraft Hall, Eden Hall Academy's premier dormitory for all male athletes." I noticed that Mr. Robinson, our residential advisor, was not at his desk. That means he must be making bed checks. Hopefully, we don't run into him on our way up the stairs. Wait, I have a legitimate excuse tonight. Go me. We headed up the stairs.

We were on the second floor landing when we heard, "Why Mr. Mendoza, have we already forgotten that all students are to be in bed before 9:30?"

I turned to look at Robinson. He had a satisfied smirk on his face.

"No, sir. I know that curfew is 9:30. You see I…"

"No, I do not want to hear any of your excuses." He looked at Jesse who was standing behind me on the steps going up to the third floor. "Who is your friend?"

"Sir, this is Jesse Hall, my new roommate. Jesse, this is Mr. Robinson, our residential advisor."

"Yes, I was told you were assigned a roommate. Tell me Mr. Hall, why are you late?"

"Well sir, curfew just slipped my mind. I'm just not use to living in a dorm. I was working out, and Luis here was kind enough to come and remind me that we needed to be getting to bed. See, Luis just returned from the doctor's office, so he saw me in the rink. I won't forget again, sir. I promise." I really admire how Jesse kept such a straight face.

"Is that true, Mr. Mendoza?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, then. Mr. Hall, I hope you keep that promise. I do not want you to let your roommate's incurable, careless behavior and open disregard for simple rules of agreeable conduct corrupt your obviously well-mannered ways. I can only hope that you will be a positive influence on Mr. Mendoza and his friends. I expect to find you both asleep when I reach the third floor. Goodnight, boys."

With that he turned to continue his bed checks on the second floor. Jesse and I continued our trek upstairs. When we reached the third floor landing, Jesse decided we were far enough away for him to comment.

"Please tell me that not all teachers are like that."

"Well, we Ducks have gradually been winning everyone over. It's just that some people still thing we shouldn't be here, like Robinson. He's still upset that he didn't have any proof that we weren't in bed the night we set the ants out on the Varsity. He really wanted us kicked out. I really liked how you handled that, though. I can't believe he called you well-mannered."

"Must be all the years hanging out with Adam."

"He's rubbing off on all of us, isn't he. Well, here's our dorm." I stopped in front of our door and tried to open it. It was locked. "Did you lock our door?"

"Yeah." He dug his key out of his pocket.

"We don't normally lock our doors since only Ducks live in this hall. That way we can visit each other easily," I explained as he opened the door.

"Sorry, it's an old habit. My hood, you have to lock the door."

"I completely understand." I looked around the room.

Very different from how I left it. There were clothes in the other closet, books stacked on the other desk, and boxes scattered on the floor. The spare bed had also been made. I think part of me is disappointed to be back to sharing a room. However, I think I can live with Jesse as a roommate. Can't be any worse than both Bash Brothers.

Jesse flopped down on his bed. "I thought I'd wait until you were here before I redecorated," he began. A knock interrupted him.

"Luis, you back?" I heard Russ whisper through the door.

I opened the door a crack. "Yeah I'm back and Robinson is on his way up. He was on two when I came up."

"Have you passed it on?" I shook my head. "Alright."

He turned and went into his dorm across the hall. I closed the door and walked over to my bed. I leaned over it and tapped the wall four times. I waited for a response. None came, so I repeated the signal. This time I heard three taps from the other side. I sat down on my bed.

"What was that for?" Jesse asked.

"I was signaling to Averman and Banks that Robinson's on his way. We can't be too careful with him. So we need to pretend to be asleep when he gets here."

With that said, I took off my sling and slipped under my covers. Not even a minute later, Robinson was peeking through our door. I think he stood there for a couple of minutes watching for a sign we weren't asleep. I almost really fell asleep though. I think this day is beginning to catch up with me. I had an early flight from Miami this morning, broke my arm, and my body is still on Eastern time. Three taps on the wall woke me up.

"That's the all clear signal," I told Jesse. "But don't get too comfortable because he often swings back by our hall and checks again since he hates us so much." I got out of bed and began to change out of my clothes. Bad move, since I reached to untie my shoe with my left hand. I hadn't taken anymore pills since this afternoon. I sat there trying to get a hold of myself.

Next thing I knew, Jesse had a cup of water and one of my pills in his hand. "Here." He put the pill in my hand. I gulped them down and drank the whole glass of water he handed me.

"Thanks."

"No problem. I remember Adam getting like that in LA. Only difference is he acted like nothing was wrong."

"Yeah, we already established that I can't lie like that." I then somehow managed to get undressed using almost only my right hand. Guess I'll have to get use to this.

Someone knocked on my door again. "Hey, you want to really play this new person idea?" I whispered to my roommate.

He grinned evily and nodded.

"Shh," I murmured. I went to answer the door. It was Russ again, with Ken.

"Alright, where's your new roommate? How bad is he? Can we meet him?" Russ asked.

"Thanks for the concern on my well-being."

"Sorry, Luis," Ken apologized. "We already know your arm's broken. We want to know about the new guy. See, Orion ordered us to be nice, but Charlie agreed to it only if the new guy's not a preppy snob, like Riley's brother. We just want to know what he's like."

I had to bite my tongue to stifle a laugh. Jesse is the complete and total opposite of Jeffrey Riley.

"I think you all need to make your own individual judgments about him. I don't want you hating him on my account. The truth is he's trying to sleep, since it is past curfew. He's exhausted because he went and worked out just because he missed practice. And when I met Robinson on the way up, Robinson called him well-mannered and hopes he'll be a positive influence on us."

They both looked at me like I had grown an extra head or something. "Orion thinks we're going to like somebody like that? We only have enough room in our hearts for one cake-eater, and we already found that one. Coach must be out of his mind."

"Maybe, but you guys need to get back in your room because you know Robinson will be headed back this way soon."

"Night, Luis," they told me before they went back. I shut the door and fell on my bed laughing.

"They bought every word of that," I said.

"Why wouldn't they, it's all true…sort of."

I caught my breath. "Well, I think we actually need to think about sleep now. I am tired."

"Alright. Good night, Luis," Jesse said as he turned out the light.

"Good night, Jesse." I was asleep in minutes.


	4. Breakfast With Ducks

I know I said a day or so, I'm sorry. However, now I'm back for the rest of summer.

DCTangerine- I'm really glad you liked the Spanish. I really feel like that's left out of a lot of Luis stories.

GageLuisSodabemine- Hope you enjoy the ducks reactions.

XXxSarahxXx- Sorry the update took so long. I'm glad you like me bringing Jesse back.

Hope everyone enjoys this chapter and please review.

Chapter 4 Breakfast With Ducks

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

"Ugh." I tried to flip my pillow over my head to shut out the alarm, but ended up hitting myself in the head with my cast instead. "Ow," I moaned. I was about to get up and kill the alarm clock, when Jesse turned it off. Since that problem was solved, I rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. When I finally looked up, I saw Jesse coming out of the bathroom, fully dressed and ready to go.

"I take it you aren't a morning person?" he asked.

"I like to think I'm in between. It's just that I had to catch a five a.m. flight yesterday and haven't caught up on my sleep yet."

"Didn't you sleep on the plane?"

"I don't consider that sleep," I said as I walked into the bathroom. Before I closed the door, Jesse handed me a plastic Wal-Mart bag. What the heck?

"You should cover your cast before you shower," he explained. "The inside will get all moldy if you let water get in it."

"Thanks." After my shower and getting dressed, I felt a lot more ready for the day. I slipped on my sling.

"What's your first class?" I asked Jesse.

"Um," he dug a piece of paper out of his pocket. "European History with Ms. Welch."

"That ain't bad. I'm in there. I heard she's easy, especially after having Mr. Barber last year."

"Who's Mr. Barber?"

"Let's just say messing up in his history class is like a stuffed troll being squashed by a giant textbook."

"Okay," Jesse said slowly, not really grasping my analogy. I grabbed my backpack.

"Let's go eat." I glanced at the clock. It was 7:32. We'd probably be the last ones down there.

We made our way down to the cafeteria. Gotta love the first day, assorted cereals for breakfast. We started to make our way to the Duck table when Jesse put up his arm to stop me. The ducks, plus Julie's boyfriend Scooter, were already eating. They were talking about our new team member.

"He can't be that bad," Julie told Russ.

"He is. You should have heard what Luis told us last night," stated Ken.

"If Robinson thinks he'll be a 'positive influence,' he must be bad, no question to it," announced Averman.

"Why can't ya'll just give the guy a chance? You know, 'I never met a man I didn't like' is very good advice right now," said Dwayne.

"No way. The only Duck that can get along with preppy, butt-kissing, stuck-up snobs is Banksie. There's nothing to it. We aren't gonna like him," Russ explained.

"Hey!" exclaimed Adam. "Just because I was born with money doesn't mean I like other people born with money. The guy is here on scholarship just like us, so he may not be a preppy."

"That's why the first thing he did was go suck up to Coach," remarked Portman.

"I don't get why this is such a big deal," stated Scooter. "You won't be able to change him, so you need to accept him however he is."

"No we don't," Russ responded.

"Well, maybe you should think about how he feels. I'm sure he hasn't joined the team with the sole purpose of driving you mad. You need to give him a chance," Adam explained.

"Only a person who's been a new Duck would say something like that," Averman said.

"But he's right," said Julie. "You have no idea how rough it can be joining a new team."

"When I joined, it was made clear that I was alright. This new guy has made it clear that he's a preppy."

"Just because we asked you to join, do not think we liked you either, Russ," announced Portman.

"Real funny…"

"Guys, stop it. We promised Orion we'd give the guy a chance. The real question is where is he?" asked Charlie.

"True. He and Luis should be down here. There's no way they could skip breakfast." Typical Goldberg reasoning.

"Maybe he's overheard you all talking, so he doesn't want to eat with us," said Connie.

Russ scoffed. "No, he probably thinks he's too good to eat with us."

"But that doesn't explain where Luis is this morning," answered Guy.

"Maybe somebody should go check on them?" asked Dwayne.

"Yeah, maybe the snob turned off Luis's alarm," Fulton replied.

"I still think you all should just try to give the guy a chance. A new school, a new team, he doesn't need his teammates hating him."

"Did we ask you, Scooter?"

"Now Russ, I'm with Scooter on this one. You should give the new guy a chance. We gave you one." Jesse said as he moved toward the empty seat next to Russ.

"You just always have to disagree with me…Jesse!" Russ's jaw dropped to the floor. The whole table was now staring at Jesse.

"Well, everybody, sorry we're late. This is my new roommate, Jesse Hall," I said as if I were formally introducing a stranger. "Jesse, these are your new teammates. Well except for those two." I pointed to Adam and Scooter. Everyone stared at Jesse, shocked.

"You mean, you're the new person, Jesse?" asked Dwayne.

Jesse smiled. "Yep. I decided to give prep-ville a chance. I hope that you can find it in your hearts to give me a chance too." He batted his eyes like he was begging. He stuck his hand across the table. "You must be Scooter. I'm Jesse. I've heard a lot about you."

"The lost member of Team USA. I've heard a lot about you too," Scooter answered, shaking Jesse's hand. He turned to Julie. "I'll see you later. I've got to go talk to Steve." As he got up, he kissed Julie on the cheek. He left, ignoring the several whistles, catcalls, and smooching noises. I sat down in the empty seat.

"Wow, Jesse, so you're the new player?" Fulton repeated.

"Yup. Hope I'm not too much of a cake eater for you to put up with."

Everybody laughed.

"But what about all that stuff Luis said?" asked Ken.

"It was partly true. Jesse had Coach Orion tell me the same sort of stuff."

"And every single one of you believed every word. It was really great."

"Real funny Jesse. Now that you've nearly given us ulcers, why don't you share what you're really doing here," said Averman.

"Orion and Bombay bugged me all summer. They told me I would be the perfect replacement for our team superstar."

"Very funny, Jesse," Adam said as he rolled his eyes. "It's good to have you back."

"Well, so far, I'm glad to be back. Might want to ask again at the end of the day."

"Don't worry. Together we're turning this place around," explained Charlie.

"True, and this year should be even better with Riley and Cole gone," announced Connie.

A series of here, here's followed that statement, Adam being the most enthusiastic. Unfortunately, the celebration was short-lived.

"Why, if it isn't a bunch of goofy duckies. I really thought you all would take the hint and not show up this year." Ugh. Stupid Jeffrey Riley.

"It's wonderful to see you again, too," Charlie responded.

"Yeah, we thought maybe you would not show up and impersonate your brother. Guess we're both out of luck," said Russ.

"One day, you poor kids will realize that it was a mistake for you to come here. You will regret the way you've treated me."

"Ah. Wait! Oh my goodness! You're a Riley, aren't you. Of the Edina Rileys, right?" I felt my jaw drop. What was Jesse saying?

"Jesse, dude, are you all right?" Portman asked. Jesse and Riley ignored him.

Riley nodded his head. "Of course I am. What of it? Are you new here?"

"Yes I am. Do you mind if I shake your hand?" Jesse actually stood up and extended his hand to Riley.

"My name's Jesse." A buzz filled the air as Riley yanked his hand away from Jesse's. That's when I noticed the hand buzzer. Our whole table cracked up laughing. Riley slunk away from our table.

"Oh man Jesse. You had us scared for a second there," Russ said.

"Jesse, the jester, the j-man is back," Averman announced.

"What a great way to start the year," proclaimed Guy.

"Much better than last year, anyway," Connie agreed.

"Let's just hope they find a decent captain for varsity this year," said Ken. "Do you know who the new captain is yet, Adam?"

"Not for sure, yet. I have an idea, but I think there's a duck that knows more than me about this."

Isn't he the one playing on varsity? That's when I noticed Julie slinking down in her seat. "Jules, what do you know?" I asked.

"Well, I wasn't supposed to say anything, 'cause the team finds out this afternoon, but Scooter's going to be the new varsity captain. That's why he needed to go talk to Steven Brown. He's been planning something. Scooter's gonna to stop him. We're trying to avoid a repeat of last year."

"Good. I don't think we could handle that again." I have to agree with Charlie on that one. I love practical jokes, but I don't even want to think about another vicious, spiteful prank war like we had last year.

Adam brought me out of my daydreaming. "Hey, we need to get to class."

The rest of the table groaned. "Why must you remind us, Banksy?" whined Averman. We gradually made our way to our classes.


	5. Stupid

This story took a turn I didn't quite expect this chapter, so I hope ya'll like it. Please review telling me what you think.

XXxSarahxXx- thanks for the consistent reviewing!

Rachel-I'm glad I'm making you like Luis. I'm also glad you like my balance with the other Ducks. I figure even if it is Luis's story, the rest of the Ducks should have a major role.

****

Chapter 5 Stupid

"Today on the Averman Show, we have the Eden Hall cafeteria," Averman was using his spoon as a microphone. "Oh look, it's Luis. Luis, how was your morning. Difficult teachers? Lots of homework? Cute new girls?" He stuck the spoon in front of my mouth. I decided to play along.

"Teachers weren't too bad. I still believe that homework should not be given on the first day. I didn't notice any girls that caught my eye."

"Ah, what a sad day we seem to have on the ladies front. Is there any hope in tomorrow's forecast?"

"How should I know? I have more on my mind than girls, Averman. Why don't you make your own guesses?" Why does everyone think my life revolves around girls?

"Alright then. Now for the scoop on our volatile couple, Connie and Guy…" I tuned him out as he went to talk to Guy. Stupid Averman. He can be so annoying. I sat down and began eating my lunch.

I was interrupted by a "Hi, Luis" behind me. Oh great. I turned to see my ex-girlfriend Mindy's friend, Whitney. I decided to begin halfway civil.

"Hola, Whitney." She had a friend with her and they both giggled.

"That's so cute how you talk different like that. Sounds so sexy," Whitney replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Leah. She just transferred here from Blake."

"Nice to meet you, Leah." I extended my hand for her to shake. She laid her hand on top of mine and let it slide off. She wouldn't stop giggling. The whole table was listening. Great.

"Leah was wondering if you'd eat with us," said Whitney.

"I don't think so today. I'm going to eat with my teammates." I gestured around the table.

"Oh. But are you sure? Wouldn't you rather eat with us?" She batted her eyelashes. "You could bring Adam."

Adam slunk down in his seat. Wish I could slink out of these conversations. Right now, I just wish I would have never have fallen for Mindy. No, that part was normal. I wish she hadn't liked me back. I certainly never expected her to. She was just going through this Ricky Martin phase and wanted her own Latin Lover. Stupid stereotypes.

"I think Adam and I are good sitting here, right Adam?" He nodded. The girls pouted and went back to their table.

"And on breaking news, Luis turns down the chance to sit with varsity cheerleaders. Is he sick or have aliens taken control of his body?" Averman stated.

Goldberg reached over and touched my forehead. I glared questioningly at him. "No fever. Must be an alien abduction."

"Maybe it's his pain medication," offered Portman.

"Or there's something in his food," said Russ. Guy picked up my milk carton and sniffed it. Checking for 'poisons' I guess. That was when something in me just snapped. Stupid lame jokes. Sometimes these guys can be so irritating.

"Real funny." I grabbed my milk back and slammed it down on my tray, splattering milk all over my food. "I'm just your regular Latin Lover, here to provide soap opera like entertainment. If that's what ya'll really think, there's no reason for me to stick around." I stormed out of the cafeteria.

Is it really necessary to hold the fact that I played into Mindy's stereotypes to get her to go out with me over my head forever? I finally showed her the real me which is the reason she broke up with me. She's graduated, so why can't everybody just leave well enough alone. I honestly did not cheat on her like she let Riley believe when she went crawling back to him. And nobody's bugging Adam about turning down cheerleaders. Anytime I even walk by a cheerleader, I hear wisecracks about being a player. Why has nobody caught on that I'm tired of it? That isn't the real me.

My silent ranting was interrupted when I bumped into something, or rather someone, making me fall. This day keeps getting better and better.

"I'm sorry, Dean Buckley. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," I stuttered.

"Oh, that's alright. You are actually just the student I needed to talk to." Uh oh. "Let's step in here and talk." I followed him into a nearby empty classroom.

"I've received word from the school board that they are unsatisfied with your scholarship. Since you will not be able to play most of the season, they do not feel the need to uphold your scholarship. Your school in Miami hasn't started yet, so when you fly home, you will have plenty of time to prepare." This is exactly what I was afraid of.

"What about what you said yesterday about none of this being a problem?"

"Well, at the time, I did not believe it would be. The school board unfortunately has final say in matters of this nature. I am powerless to change their mind. I'm sorry." This place is so full of crap, maybe it's a good thing I'm leaving. Though, the reason I ran out of the cafeteria sure seems insignificant now. Oh well, after Wednesday, they'll be out of my lives.

I finished my classes for the day without really paying attention to my teachers' lectures or my friends concerned questions. They kept trying to tell me how sorry they were. I really didn't care. It would be easier to leave this way. I just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

At the end of the day, I went straight back to my dorm and began packing. I ignored Jesse's pleas to come watch practice like I was supposed to. Why should I watch when I'm not going to be on the team? Packing was slow going because of my arm. A couple hours later, I listened to Charlie, Dwayne, and probably the rest of the team banging on my door, wanting to talk. They couldn't take the hint that I had locked the door for a reason. Unfortunately, I heard everyone quiet down. Coach Orion ordered me to open the door. Then the door began to creak open. It opened to reveal a smug Jesse. Stupid Jesse, remembering his keys.

"Good job, Hall. Now all of you go get started on your homework. I need to talk to Mendoza." The team groaned, but obeyed. "Conway, stay and shut the door."

Charlie looked surprised by the request. He shut the door and began apologizing. "Luis, we're all real sorry about what was said at lunch. We were just joking around." His eyes drifted to my half-packed suitcase lying on the bed. "Wait! Why are you packing? Don't tell me you're leaving us 'cause of a few jokes?"

"Don't worry about it Charlie. We're cool. I'm just leaving, alright. And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Hold up, Mendoza. Are you seriously going to give up like this? Make everyone think it's their fault, when really it's yours, since you're giving up without a fight?" Orion asked.

Charlie was still confused. "What are you talking about, Coach? Why is Luis packing?"

I kept ignoring them both. "You've never appeared to be the quitting type, Mendoza. Don't prove me wrong," Orion continued. They just can't leave me alone. I snapped on them.

"What do you want me to do?" I yelled. "I'm breaking the contract. I'm too poor to even attempt paying tuition! I never really belonged here in the first place! Nobody in my family's ever graduated from high school! Why should I break the trend? I hate this cold artic wasteland, as it is. Not that I could stop the snobs if I wanted to. What else can I do?!"

"You don't think we can come up with something? Have you so little faith that you can't lean on your friends to help fight this? Or at least enough trust to tell them the truth about what's wrong?"

"It's just easier this way Coach. I can have a flight home tomorrow. There's nothing that can be done, anyway."

"Done for what? What happened? Can one of you please fill me in?" Charlie begged. "What happened after you left the cafeteria?"

"I talked to Dean Buckley. I can't play hockey right now, so the school board can't pay my tuition right now." I stared at Coach Orion. "Happy now?"

"Hold up," Charlie interrupted our glaring match. "Coach, they can't do that, can they? I thought we proved they couldn't last year."

"Unfortunately, Conway, they found a loophole. There's nothing we can do to change that. What we need now is to find our own loophole to keep Mendoza here. I've done what I could by speaking with the Dean. Mendoza can stay until next Thursday. We have until then to come up with a plan. So start thinking, Captain." With that, Coach left the room.

"Luis, I promise you we will find that loophole."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Charlie. If you let me go, maybe they'll leave the rest of you alone."

"Now you know that's a bunch of crap. You leave, they'll think they can kick out the rest of us. The Ducks are finally all back together, something that hasn't happened since we left LA. Don't think I'm going to let a bunch of snobs tear us apart again. Don't order a plane ticket yet."

"I can't just stay here without being a student. I have to go home, Charlie." Why can't he just leave me alone?

"Coach Orion got you a week. Let's use it. If I don't have a plan by Wednesday, everybody will help you pack."

Packing was going slow. There really isn't a reason to rush home. "Alright, we have a deal. I'll expect everybody's help after dinner on Wednesday."

"Oh ye of little faith. I'll find a way for you to stay. Have I ever let you down before?" I glared knowingly at him. Stupid question. "Minus walking out last year when I wasn't myself." Understatement.

"Whatever. We have a deal now, so you can leave me alone until it's time to pack, because there's no way the board will change their mind. I know you must have homework to do instead of bugging me."

Charlie let out a frustrated sigh and left. It's not my fault the truth hurts. I slid my suitcase off my bed. The case banged on the hardwood. The messily folded clothes dumped out onto the floor.

I had a second hour study hall with Ken, so my homework could wait. I really didn't see the need to worry about my first hour history assignment. Wait, dang it. Why do I care? I shouldn't care at all, since I'm leaving. Darn it. Charlie just had to give me some false hope.

Stupid Charlie. Stupid Coach. Stupid arm. Stupid plans. Stupid scholarships. Stupid school board. Stupid school. Stupid dreams. Stupid arm.

I took another pill and laid down on my bed. I didn't even change. I didn't hear Jesse come in. I just cried myself to a dreamless sleep.


	6. Reflections

Yes, I am alive! Do any of you know how tough adapting to college is? I have had so little time, since my time management skills leave a lot to be desired. But they're improving! I'm setting aside time each week to work on my writing. I'm not abandoning any of my stories. Thank you, LuisMfan for gracing my inbox with a wakeup call. XSarah, you are absolutely right, poor Luis. I hope all of you enjoy this chapter and review. It's a bit longer and a tad mushy, so please let me know what you think. Also, I'm considering writing a little side story about what everybody else is up to. Luis doesn't find out too much, so let me know if you're interested that.

**Chapter 6 Reflections**

I don't know what happened during the next couple of days. I was more or less a zombie, zoning out the rest of the world. I went to class, went to watch practice, went to sleep, woke up and started the process over again. Somehow I was conscious enough to copy Ken's homework, I think. When Saturday came, my plan was to sleep through the weekend. However, after lunch, Jesse and Dwayne woke me up and threatened to poor a bucket of ice water on my head if I didn't get up and stop acting like the world was ending.

Gathering all my will power, I got up and dressed. I really didn't want to be around my friends because I knew I wouldn't ever see them after this week. So, I started walking. I didn't even know where I was headed, but I liked being alone with my thoughts. I needed to sort myself out, before I say goodbye to my friends.

And boy did I get lost in my thoughts. I suddenly looked around to find myself far from the posh neighborhood surrounding Eden Hall. It looked somewhat familiar. Then it clicked. This was the part of town the in-state Ducks lived in. I recognized the schoolyard where we played a couple games of street puck last year. I walked a little further to find myself in a little park. I sat on a park bench overlooking a small pond. As the wind picked up, I really wished I had brought a jacket with me. It is just too cold up here in Minnesota.

Which must sound weird coming from a hockey player. My brothers constantly remind me of how weird I am. I grew up in sunny Florida and have this strange obsession with ice. If it wasn't for this obsession, I could have just as easily been a track star with my speed. I can stop myself when I run, well more than on the ice.

My parents think the whole thing's adorable. When my parents escaped from Cuba, my mom fell in the water. There was no way to dry her off well as they floated in the sea, and she nearly died of hypothermia. Luckily, they were picked up by the USS Spruance. At the same time, my mother was pregnant with me. I was born a couple of months later on U.S. soil. My parents think it's only natural for me to like the cold.

However, I spent this last summer wondering if this was worth all that's happened. I hardly fit in with my family. My whole vacation was awkward. I felt like a visitor. Now I'm going back there. How am I going to fit back in? My parents think of me as their little American dream come true. My siblings either admire or hate me for getting out of the ghetto.

"Maybe I should have just said no to Mr. Tibbles…"

"You know you don't believe that." What in the world? I looked around startled by this new voice, to find this black kid setting his backpack down beside the bench and settling himself beside me.

"Believe what?" Had I been talking to myself?

"If you hadn't gone to LA, you wouldn't be a duck, and you would regret that." Darn it, I was talking to myself. But also, how does he know all this? Something seems familiar about this kid, but I just can't place it. "Don't look so shocked, Luis. I'm just saying stuff you already know."

"Even so, how do you know my name?"

He rolled his eyes. "You were only on a Wheaties box…" I'm definitely not in the mood for a fan, but I try to fake being civil.

"So do you want my autograph? You want meet the team or something?"

"What do you take me for, a star-struck fan? I'm insulted. Maybe Eden Hall has turned you guys into stupid cake-eaters."

When he said that, it hit me. He reminded me of Jesse. He even kinda looked like Jesse. This is their neighborhood. They could be related.

"Are you any relation to Jesse Hall?"

"Sure took you long enough to make that connection. Let me introduce myself since my brother isn't here. I'm Terry Hall, original Duck."

"Original Duck?"

He smirked. "Our peewee team had more than just eight people, five more in fact, which equals five replacements." He held his fingers up as if making sure it adds up. He sure has Jesse's gift of sarcasm.

"Well, it's not my fault that no body's mentioned any of the past players," I offered, trying to rectify my ignorance. He shrugged it off.

"Whatever."

"Well that explains why you just sat down to talk to a stranger."

"Yeah, well, I was a bit worried to see you here by yourself and talking to yourself."

"Uh, I probably do seem like a mess, don't I?"

"Yup, but don't worry. Jesse's been keeping me filled in on what's up. Stupid cake-eaters."

"Ain't that the truth? I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Don't worry. There's no way you're leaving."

"And how would you know? I don't know how to get around this."

"Three words-Ducks fly together. We got you covered. Jesse says they've been working hard on this loophole. Last I heard Adam had some meeting with a dean or something."

"Really? They haven't mentioned anything to me…But then again I haven't been paying to much attention to anything this week."

"I wouldn't worry too much. Even if you're a bit out of it, they've been on top of things."

Unfortunately, that only made me think of how little I had been helping. They were really trying to figure out something, while I had just given up. I remember noticing Julie and Guy reading over what looked like our scholarships the other day. And if Adam had a meeting with a dean…They're putting in a lot of effort, and I just gave up. I look guiltily at my shoes. Some Duck I am…I wonder why they bother…I used to get so aggravated when friends back home would wallow in self-pity, and here I am doing the same thing…Could I be anymore inconsiderate? Thoughtless? Heartless?

"Earth to Luis. Come in Luis." Oh yeah, Terry's right here.

"Oh. Sorry, I spaced out a little there."

"Yeah, I noticed. Anyway, I'm sure the team as a plan. Even if you have been a bit out of it, there are thirteen people back at that school that have been working on it. They'll come up with something. And in the very small chance that they don't, everything'll work out. Things always do. Like how Jesse got to reclaim his scholarship after being so miserable last year."

"Jesse was miserable?" I hadn't really thought about that. I do know we did I bad job of keeping in touch with him.

Terry's face grew serious. "He missed you guys. We've all been going to school and playing hockey together forever. Then, all of a sudden, the only other duck he had to hang around was Tammy, and she usually misses school because of her figure skating. Then you guys don't come and visit, and Hans died. It was a long year."

"And Jesse's solution is joining us in prep-ville?"

"Well, since you all can't pick up a phone, do you blame him?"

"I guess not." When I get back I'm apologizing to Jesse. He hadn't even mentioned feeling forgotten to us. He's just as carefree as always.

"Don't you dare go apologizing," Terry said, reading my thoughts. "It was a long year for all of you, but forget about it. You're all together now. That's what matters. The four of us that were too young have each other, and Tammy's too buried in her figure skating. I only told you about this so that you'd realize that everything will come together."

"Okay," I conceded. There was just something hopeful about the way he talked. I couldn't help but join his optimism. However, as with any serious conversation involving Ducks, a joke soon breaks it up.

"Besides, now that we've met, I want to know if you really are good enough to be a Duck. We've wanted to get you newbies on the ice for a long time now."

"Well, we did win an international competition."

"Ha, barely. If we had played, that game wouldn't have been nearly so close." I rolled my eyes. "And you think you're great with your scholarships. We're on Varsity as freshmen."

"How did all of you manage that?"

"We're just that good. Well, except Tammy, but she's a figure skater to the core." Terry gave an exaggerated shiver.

"Sounds like Ken, except backwards."

"Yes, what a great loss to the sport that is!" he announced shrilly and sarcastically. "Tammy's always going on about that."

"So who else is there?"

We began to swap stories about the peewee ducks and about Eden Hall. It had to be some of the funniest stuff I've heard in a while. When he explained how they recruited Fulton and having to teach him to skate, I couldn't stop laughing. Julie and I had no idea that her little song was true. She was just trying to rhyme. Terry corrected me though; it was slightly over a year since he couldn't skate.

When I finally glanced down at my watch, it was 5:32. Wow, I've been here all afternoon. I really need to be getting back for dinner.

"I was about to say the same thing." I looked at him in confusion. He smiled. "Do you always talk to yourself?"

I slapped myself in the head. "Unfortunately, yes," I groaned. "My brothers always tease me about it. I'm not sure the ducks have noticed it too much. They've never said anything."

"Oh, don't worry. Jesse will notice and will remind every chance he gets. He's good at that." Terry unfortunately had a less than sympathetic look on his face. Not comforting at all. "You know, I'm really enjoying having my own room. No more obnoxious big brother snooping around, using my stuff, snoring, keeping me up at night." I couldn't tell how much he was joking, but I hoped he was just exaggerating to be funny. Then he laughed at the worried expression on my face. "I'm just joking."

"Thank goodness. Well, like I said, I need to get back for dinner. Thanks for talking to me. I'll try and keep in touch."

"Yeah, let me know if you need any help with your scholarship. And I'll be waiting on the ice for you when your arms better."

"I'll be sure to bring the other out-of-state ducks, minus Russ." Terry had made it clear that Russ was ok because he didn't replace any of them.

"We'll be ready and waiting."

With a quick goodbye, Terry headed home and I headed back to Eden Hall.

"Aren't you in a better mood," Russ stated as I sat down at our table.

"Yep"

"Any hints as to where you disappeared to?" he asked.

"Just went for a walk," I replied. That's when I noticed how empty the table seemed. "Where's everybody else?" The only ones here were Russ, Dwayne, Ken, and Guy.

"Um…out, they went home. You know with it being the weekend, they wanted to get some decent food." I think there's a little bit more to it than Russ is letting on.

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief and looked at Dwayne for a more honest answer. He faked ignorance.

"Everybody just wanted some homecookin,'" he replied. I know that Dwayne may seem a little slow at times, but actually, he just has this problem where his brain doesn't quite process sounds as easily as normal. He is perfectly capable of reading the glare I'm giving him for holding back on me. Actually, all of them are capable…

Oh no, what if they're mad at me? "Well, I just want you guys to know that I'm sorry about how I've acted. I've just been in a little shock, little depressed, you know. But I do care, and I want to stay here. Please don't hate me." I spitted out. I just hope they don't hate me. They looked at me a little shocked.

Ken's eyes were wide as he started talking. "Hate you? Luis, we have not been spending these last few days, figuring out ways for you to stay because we hate you."

Guy continued. "Yeah, we understand that you're going through a lot with your arm and the scholarship and all."

"Yep, and if we need anything from you, we won't hesitate to ask," Russ added.

"So buck up and chow down. This supper's gettin' cold," concluded Dwayne, and the topic was dropped. So, they seemed determined not tell me. Guess it was all going to be a surprise. Only thing I could do was eat my dinner.

They seem to want me not worrying about it, even though I'm worried that the board isn't going to listen to whatever they've thought up. Seriously, we had to threaten a freaking lawsuit with a lawyer last time. Anyways, I let them have their secrets. I definitely had mine. I didn't mention meeting Terry. However, right now I'm content hanging out with my friends, because no matter what happens, we'll always be ducks, and Ducks fly together.


End file.
